Magnum Moon Stays Perfect, Wins G1 Arkansas Derby

by Oaklawn Park Press Release

April 14, 2018

HOT SPRINGS, AR (Saturday, April 14, 2018) – Robert and Lawana Low’s Magnum Moon is now a perfect four for four and holds the top position on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard after scoring an impressive victory in Saturday’s $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) before a crowd of 64,500. The Todd Pletcher-trainee added 100 points to his 50 from winning Oaklawn’s March 17 Rebel Stakes (G2) to bring his total to 150 points, 16 more than champion Good Magic.

Total handle for the 12-race card was $16,159,771.31, a record for a single day card in Oaklawn’s 114 history.

Ridden by Luis Saez, Magnum Moon, the 4-5 favorite, grabbed the lead from the break and never looked back, proceeding to set fractions of :23.34 and :48.60 for the first half mile, while being tracked closely by Quip. The winner shied in the stretch, but quickly overcame it to draw off to win by four lengths over Quip, who earned 40 points for second, in 1:49.86 over a fast track.

Solomini, the Rebel Stakes runner-up, came from sixth in the nine-horse field to finish third and earned 20 points. He was followed by Combatant, Tenfold, Plainsman, Dream Baby Dream, Beautiful Shot and Machismo.

Magnum Moon, a Malibu Moon colt, has now earned $1,177,800. He returned $3.60, $2.80 and $2.40 as the heavy favorite.

Live racing will resume January 25, 2019.

$1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) Quotes:

Todd Pletcher (Magnum Moon) – “I thought it (his race) was very good. I’m very pleased with the outcome. A little concerned that he drifted out the last part, but it looked like he sort of halfway thought about jumping over the tire marks when he went the by the eighth pole where the gate was and sort of skipped over those. I think he was maybe just drifting away from that. Aside from that, I thought he finished with good energy and was pulling away from some nice horses. He showed his versatility. He's won a number of different ways now and I think he's proven that he's the kind of horse that doesn't need the race to unfold a certain way, that he's able to kind of make his own race.”

Magnum Moon is scheduled to return to Palm Beach Downs on Sunday, Pletcher said, and “tentatively” fly to Churchill Downs on April 23. Will breeze once at Churchill Downs - “probably” eight days before the Kentucky Derby.

Winning owner Robert Low (Magnum Moon) – “He had me worried to death when I saw we were on the lead. But, Luis (Saez) gave him a masterful ride.”

Winning Jockey Luis Saez (Magnum Moon) – ”I thought there was going to be a little speed. We were in a good position, he broke really sharp. I’m not going to choke him. I am just going to stay there and he was very comfortable into the turn. He was traveling pretty good. When I came to the stretch I felt like he was looking at the gate marks so when we got there I touched him a little and he went. We will see what happens.”

Trainer Rodolphe Brisset (Quip, second) – “I guess that's just the way the race set up (when asked if he expected Magnum Moon to be on the lead). We could have tried to go on the lead. I think Florent (Geroux) did the right thing.”

Jockey Florent Geroux (Quip, second) –”We had a good trip. He always breaks sharp and is always forwardly placed. When Luis (Saez on Magnum Moon) smooched to his horse, I knew he wanted the lead. I let my horse settle and he did very nicely. My horse ran hard. Solomini is a nice horse too. I’m very satisfied with his race.”

Racing Manager Justin Zayat (Zayat Stables LLC. co-owner of Solomini) – “He didn’t break as sharply as we would have liked. He was third best today. The winner is a really nice horse. We’ll talk to Bob (Baffert), but I thought it was a good race and now it’s on to Kentucky.”

Jockey Flavien Prat (Solomini, third) – ”We broke well and then settled off the pace. He ran a nice one.”

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4.12.2018

Oaklawn Park and Keeneland look like your ‘Best Bets’ Saturday, with phenomenal cards showcasing plenty of top-level graded stakes races.
At Oaklawn, the G1 Arkansas Derby serves as the final ‘major’ Kentucky Derby prep and the top barns certainly came out to shine. Hall of Famers Todd Pletcher (Magnum Moon), Bob Baffert (Solomini) and Steve Asmussen (Combatant, Tenfold, Dream Baby Dream) are all represented by Derby hopefuls, and upstart trainer, Rodolphe Brisset also sends out Tampa Bay Derby winner, Quip.
The card also features the G2 Oaklawn Handicap and a pair of California G1 winners – Accelerate and City of Light – is in town to run against a strong local contingent. And star sprinter, Whitmore, continues his 2018 campaign in the G3 Count Fleet. Catch all of the action live on XBTV. First post is 1:30PM ET.
At Keeneland, the top fillies take center stage in the G1 Jenny Wiley and the ungraded Giant’s Causeway. The Jenny Wiley is loaded with talent, including Dona Bruja, Off Limits, Cambodia, Sistercharlie, La Coronel, Kitten’s Roar and Fourstar Crook. All are either G1 winners or G1 placed. Plus, all-word turf sprinter, Lady Aurelia, is back in the Giant’s Causeway and the way Wesley Ward’s horses are running at Keeneland, she’s going to nearly impossible to beat.
Oaklawn Park Late Pick 4 (Races 8 - 11)
Race 8 – Northern Spur Stakes (Start of 50-cent All-Stakes Late Pick 4)
I hate for my first pick at Oaklawn to be the chalk, but it’s hard for me to find reason to stand against TITLE READY (3/2) in this one. He last raced against the likes of Magnum Moon and Solomini in the G2 Rebel and he was only beaten 5-lengths that day, a far superior performance to anyone else in this group. The other two horses stopping back from the Rebel, HIGH NORTH (7/2) and HIGHER POWER (8/1) were 7th and 8th that day, respectively. Asmussen’s ‘other’ horse, EGO TRIP (8/1) may pose the biggest threat. He broke his maiden here last out going 1 1/8-miles, but will be trying to close from far back.
Top Pick: Title ReadyPick 4 Horses: Title Ready
Race 9 – Count Fleet Handicap (G3)
One of last year’s top sprinters, WHITMORE (7/5), is back and ready for more. I was awfully impressed with the way he stayed in form throughout 2017 (his poor performance in the Breeders’ Cup not withstanding) and Oaklawn is ‘home’ for this horse. He’s 5-for-8 locally and he won this race in 2017 by 3 ¾-lengths. I’ll use him and SMART SPREE in my Pick 4. SMART SPREE (3/1) is the speed of the speed and it’s hard to believe that this horse was running for a tag all year at Woodbine. He’s 3-for-3 during the meet at Oaklawn and would be very dangerous if left alone on the lead.
Top Pick: WhitmorePick 4 Horses: Whitmore, Smart Spree
Race 10 – Oaklawn Handicap (G2)
The Pick 4 gets a lot deeper in the Oaklawn Handicap, where as many as six horses appears logical. I’m calling for a quick pace, as G1 winning sprinter, CITY OF LIGHT (3/1), ships in from California and breaks from the 11-post. He’ll need to break running. Just to his inside, ACCELERATE (9/5), fresh off a win in the G1 Big Cap, will also look to save ground from an outside post. They may both send. We already know Todd Pletcher’s HEDGE FUND (4/1) also wants the lead, which could lead to an all out stampede into the turn. If that’s the case, make sure HAWAAKOM (10/1) is on your ticket, along with UNTRAPPED (10/1) and MALIBU MAX (20/1), who is the local ‘now’ horse. All will be closing fast. And yea, I know a bunch of horses in the Pick 4 isn’t ideal, but I’m paring down all of the other legs, so we should be alright.
Top Pick: UntrappedPick 4 Horses: Malibu Max, Untrapped, Hawaakom, Hedge Fund, Accelerate, City of Light
Race 11 – Arkansas Derby (G1)
To say I like MAGNUM MOON (8/5) in here is an understatement. I actually LOVE this horse today. He’s got the perfect post, a great jockey and an ideal running style. What more could you ask for? He turned the G2 Rebel into a runaway, blasting SOLOMINI (2/1) and COMBATANT (6/1) by 3+ lengths and he’s still getting better. My only real concern is the unknown factor in QUIP (9/2). He scratched out of the G2 Blue Grass last Saturday to run here and he took the G2 Tampa Bay Derby by a length over Flameaway on March 10. Flameaway came back to run an OK-to-good second behind Good Magic in the Blue Grass and could be the controlling speed, depending on how Flavien Prat rides SOLOMINI. By the way, that particular horse is a hard toss for me on the win end. Every race he runs is about the same and I just think he if had any ‘more forward’ in him, we’d have seen it already.
Top Pick: Magnum MoonPick 4 Horses: Magnum Moon
Late Pick 4 TicketRace 8: 1Race 9: 4, 6Race 10: 1, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11Race 11: 6Ticket Cost ($1): $12.00
Plus, Xpressbet customers are in for a treat this weekend. Both the Arkansas Derby (Oaklawn Park, Race 11) and the Lexington Stakes (Keeneland, Race 9) are part of our ‘Money-Back Guarantee’ promotion. Bet a horse in either race and get your money back, up to $10, if they finish 2nd or 3rd.
And on top of that, Xpressbet will also cover the takeout on two bets this weekend. At Oaklawn, play the Late Daily Double (Races 11 – 12) to get 0% Takeout and the offer is the same on Exactas in the Lexington at Keeneland, which attracted a field of 12, headlined by My Boy Jack, Greyvitos and Telekinesis.

4.11.2018

Aaron Vercruysse, Jeff Siegel, Zoe Cadman and Richard Migliore look ahead to a key Kentucky Derby prep as they preview the Arkansas Derby, where Magnum Moon, Solomini and Quip will look to solidify themselves as top contenders. They look back at last week's winning performances from Justify, Good Magic and Vino Rosso as they reveal Jeff's brand new top 10 Kentucky Derby rankings.